My Secret Hotel Episode 12 Recap

It’s rather unheard of to suddenly have a new favorite character(s) in a drama arrive late in the game such as in episode 12 of My Secret Hotel, and in the form of formerly barely there side roles. Hae Young’s parents have turned out to be adorable, sweet, and considerate, and in a shocking twist from being evil chaebol in-laws from Hell, end up doing whatever they can to help their son win Sang Hyo’s heart. That already enough for the shoo-ins for parent of the year, but they pile on the awesome by treating Sang Hyo with affection and understanding leeway, accepting her limitations and extending their welcoming hand even if she’s not ready to take it at this time.

As of now, the most convincing reason for Sang Hyo to go back to Hae Young is for her to land the best in-laws in the world. I’m mostly kidding on that since Hae Young did make major strides in reminding Sang Hyo of their wonderful past experiences together when married. But he follows it up by continuing to be immature when it counts in trying to win Sang Hyo’s trust through everything except telling her the truth about why he left 7 years ago abruptly. This episode was cute enough being chock full of OTP scenes together, but sadly the ending confrontation brought it all back to square whatever once again.

Episode 12 recap:

Hae Young pleads with Sang Hyo to once again pretend to be a happily married couple with him in front of his parents. His dad needs to see him happily married before he’ll agree to have life-saving surgery for his illness. Sang Hyo tries to steel her heart but gives in and agrees to one week pretending. Hae Young rushes forward to hug Sang Hyo before giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. Hae Young then drags Sang Hyo back to her apartment to pack her belongings to move to his place.

Sang Hyo calls work to take a few days off, citing personal matters she needs to take care of. She grumbles to Hae Young why she needs to take time off work when she can just meet his parent tonight after work? Hae Young explains she needs to help him clean the house and also use the time to get familiar with his place and see it as her own. His mom is quite perceptive so Sang Hyo needs to be truly settled in for the ruse to work. Hae Young can see Sang Hyo wavering so he reminds her that his dad’s heart is really really weak.

As Sang Hyo busies herself packing, Hae Young sits down on the bed and casually asks if Jo Sung Gyum ever spent the night here? Sang Hyo initially wants to say no but decides to milk it and act all sultry before saying both of them are adults. Hae Young is about to get upset and call Sung Gyum so Sang Hyo quickly assures him that Sung Gyum is a gentleman.

Hae Young snarks that Sung Gyum is a gentleman while he’s an animal. Sang Hyo remembers how his suitcase was filled with male virility pills when they went on their honeymoon. Hae Young stands up to show Sang Hyo exactly what he can do and she holds up her pink hairdryer as a weapon to keep him at bay. Hae Young stalks her into the closet before closing the door on her with a smile.

On the drive to Hae Young’s place, Sang Hyo feels bad remembering the last time she married Hae Young and Sung Gyum got upset wondering why she didn’t think about how he would feel. Hae Young can see Sang Hyo looking sad and hears that she’s worried about Sung Gyum’s feelings if he found out. Hae Young warns her to never mention Sung Gyum’s name in front of him and if she does then he’ll have to shut her lips. He puckers up and Sang Hyo warns him to not dare, but then both chuckle at their bantering.

Hae Young’s parents are grumbling about why he insisted they come to his place tonight. Turns out the call in the morning was his parents telling him that they are headed to the US so Hae Young begs them to delay their trip for a week and come to his place. He pleads with him that this is very important and will affect his life.

Hae Young thinks to himself that he has one week and he will use that time to bring Sang Hyo back to him.

Sung Gyum walks into the event planning department looking for Sang Hyo and hears that she took the day off for family matters. Eun Joo runs into Sung Gyum in the corridor and her first instinct is once again to hide behind the beam and avoid him. Sung Gyum sees her this time and asks to talk, noticing that Eun Joo is crying.

Sung Gyum is sad that he can’t see the confident Eun Joo anymore and doesn’t like the Eun Joo who cries. He confesses having good feelings for her initially but it didn’t develop into more but she is very attractive and charismatic. He hopes they can be colleagues at work comfortably. Eun Joo smiles and thanks him for saying this and she’ll work hard to fix her feelings and wish him and Sang Hyo well…… Then Eun Joo’s fake smile drops and she barks out that she would never say this to him! Has he ever seen a girl who likes a guy be able to be friends with him after he gets another girlfriend? That doesn’t happen and Sung Gyum is selfish in asking for more.

She has no intention to be friends with him and reminds him that Hae Young’s wife is Sang Hyo and in the future Sung Gyum’s wife will be Eun Joo. And when that time comes, she will forever use what he did to her now to torment him! Eun Joo storms off while Sung Gyum sits there sheepishly. She’s such a fiery hot tempered thing, I love her! After she storms off Sung Gyum smiles to see the old Eun Joo back.

Hae Young has movers helping him do slight redecorating around the house including hanging his wedding picture with Sang Hyo up. He’s so picky until Sang Hyo gets fed up and tells him to hang it anywhere! Hae Young then sits in front of the portrait admiring it.

Sang Hyo starts cleaning and orders Hae Young to help out. She pokes him with a duster before sticking her tongue out at him and swanning off. Hae Young chuckles that she’s such a bossy beautiful thing.

Sang Hyo checks out Hae Young’s bedroom and announces that during the week his parents are staying over, she will sleep on the bed but he has to sleep on the floor. She warns Hae Young against daring to make a move on her. Sang Hyo then remembers the night that Soo Ah came over to see Hae Young which makes her yell that he needs to change the entire bed for her! Hae Young doesn’t know what’s gotten into her.

Sang Hyo makes Hae Young call in a mobile truck to disinfect the mattress which leads the guy ask if the couple has kids who are allergic. Hae Young embraces Sang Hyo and promises to have kids with her as soon as possible.

Sang Hyo gets a call from Sung Gyum and immediately reverts to aegyo on the phone. She explains that a really annoying person caused her to not be able to go to work. Sung Gyum is relieved she’s fine and asks to come over for dinner tonight. Sang Hyo quickly says no and promises to explain to him at the hotel. Sung Gyum accepts it and warns her not to cheat on him. After Sung Gyum ends the call, Sang Hyo pretends to be still talking to him and says “I love you, too!” Hae Young grabs the phone from Sang Hyo to warn Sung Gyum off until he realizes the phone is silent. Sang Hyo warns Hae Young to stop bothering “my Sung Gyum” in the future.

Detective Kim arrives to meet with Sung Gyum and hears from Simon that Sung Gyum isn’t in presently. He asks to go inside to wait but Simon refuses to let him. Detective Kim waits outside while checking out Simon and remembering the Vice GM describing Simon as looking like a creepy killer. Sung Gyum returns to his office and goes inside to talk with Detective Kim who once again asks what his relationship is with Heo Young Mi? Detective Kim then comes right out and asks Sung Gyum if he killed Young Mi?

Guard Cha reports to GM Lee that Detective Kim is presently meeting with Sung Gyum to ask him about Young Mi. Perhaps the rumors that Sung Gyum killed Young Mi is true?

Shi Chan gets a call from Hae Young asking him and the rest of the team to hold down the fort as he won’t be coming to work today. Shi Chan promises to do well and tells Hae Young to enjoy his time with Sang Hyo. The team wonder if they can leave work early now and Shi Chan tries to be a slave driver before letting everyone leave early except himself.

Shi Chan is about to dig into work when Jung Eun arrives looking for Hae Young and is upset to hear that he’s with Sang Hyo now. Shi Chan suggests Jung Eun look at other eligible guys in this world beyond Hae Young. Jung Eun doesn’t see anyone so Shi Chan whispers in her ear that he’s eligible before running out of work.

Hae Young is helping Sang Hyo cook dinner and he’s more hindrance than help. Sang Hyo also makes a muddle of the dishes as some overcook or burn. Hae Young leans back to enjoy watching the wifey being all domestic. Sang Hyo takes a sip of the stew and makes a disgusted face. She feeds Hae Young a sip and he pours water in to dilute it. Then it becomes too bland so Hae Young tries to pour salt in only to dump the entire container.

Sang Hyo burns her hand on the food in the microwave and Hae Young immediately tends to her wound. Sang Hyo tries to shake it off but Hae Young princess carries her to the sofa to put on medicine on. Sang Hyo watches as Hae Young patches up her burn but her smile disappears when she remembers Sung Gyum asking if she never thought about how he would feel? She pulls her hand away and goes back to cooking.

Hae Young’s parents arrive and are about to ring the doorbell when they near the newlyweds inside. They smile and decide to go for a walk and come back later to give them privacy.

Sung Gyum gets a call from Soo Ah’s dad asking to dine with him later tonight. Sung Gyum arrives at the dinner and is surprised to find only Soo Ah there. He wonders where Chairman Jung is and Soo Ah gives an unconvincing excuse that her dad was suddenly called away. Soo Ah orders Sung Gyum not to misunderstand, she didn’t bug her dad to schedule this dinner nor is she trying force Sung Gyum to spend time with her.

Eun Joo suddenly arrives and acts like she previously had a dinner date already with Sung Gyum. She then sits down and invites herself to this dinner. Sung Gyum asks the ladies what they want and the two ladies pick different steak cuts and insist Sung Gyum go with their pick. Sung Gyum plays neutral and picks his own different cut of steak. Then the ladies get into an argument about red v. white wine so Sung Gyum picks sparkling wine and skips an appetizer before another cat fight breaks out.

Hae Young and Sang Hyo sit down to dinner with the parents who are good natured and chuckle over the spread which is not very well made. Hae Young explains Sang Hyo cooked it all for them and even burned her finger. The parents dig in and it’s clear from their expression that the dinner is a disaster but they still compliment Sang Hyo on doing so well her first time cooking a full meal. Dad laughs that the galbi is especially chewy, i.e. a nice way to say overdone.

Soo Ah acts all tipsy after dinner and wants to ask Sung Gyum to drive her home but Eun Joo preempts her by having already called a car for her. Soo Ah glares at the smiling Eun Joo as she stomps into the waiting car.

Sung Gyum thanks Eun Joo for saving him from an awkward dinner and for helping it end so quickly. He invites Eun Joo to have drinks and she happily accepts….before asking if he really thought she would say yes! Is he interested in her? If not then why have drinks with her? If not then why be so nice to her? Because of his attitude that is why he leads other ladies on to misunderstand. Eun Joo doesn’t want drinks tonight with him but maybe another day. You tell him, Eun Joo!

After dinner Sang Hyo is peeling apples in the kitchen while Hae Young stares at her all besotted. His parents notice and Mom tells him to go over to Sang Hyo if he wants to be with her so badly. Hae Young walks up to Sang Hyo and envelopes her in a back hug and refuses to let go. Sang Hyo threatens to run away if he doesn’t let go. Hae Young reminds her that his dad might have a heart attack is she runs away. His whispering in her ears makes her all tingly while his parents sneak back to their room to give the kids alone time.

Hae Young gets serious and tells Sang Hyo that he likes this very much, he likes being able to hold her in his arms, he likes being able to restart with her again. He nuzzles her neck while Sang Hyo quickly takes it all in. She then thinks of Sung Gyum’s voice again and tries to struggle out of Hae Young’s arm. She stomps on his foot to get him to let go and waves her paring knife around to warn him away from her.

Hae Young prepares the bedroom including lighting mood candles and fixing the blankets. Sang Hyo walks in all ready for bed and orders Hae Young to go to his place for the night and the taps the ground. Hae Young reluctantly sits down on the ground but continues to stare at Sang Hyo with a happy smile. He thanks her for being so beautiful and filial to his parents, and for coming here. Sang Hyo tosses some bedding at him and lays down for bed. Hae Young grumbles that he’ll not sleep well tonight since the floor is so hard.

Hae Young lays down on the ground and props himself up to keep staring at Sang Hyo. She orders him to sleep but he wants her to sleep first. She refuses to sleep until he’s asleep so Hae Young laughs that assures her that he’s a good guy and won’t do anything to her. Hae Young turns over to sleep so Sang Hyo takes to propping herself up and staring at his back.

Flashback to the married couple sleeping in the same bed with Sang Hyo being all aegyo for the sleeping Hae Young to turn over and face her. She asks why he’s not facing her when sleeping and hears that he has an important meeting tomorrow. If he faced her when sleeping he won’t be able to sleep because he’ll want to ravish her. Hae Young ends up turning around and kisses Sang Hyo before the action moves under the blankets. In the present Hae Young smiles as he reminisces.

When Hae Young turns around he is surprised to see Sang Hyo staring at him from the bed. He asks why she’s not asleep and what she’s thinking about? Sang Hyo claims nothing so Hae Young asks if she wants him to sing her a lullaby to lull her to sleep?

Flashback shows a wide awake Sang Hyo tossing and turning in bed until she burrows into Hae Young’s arms as he sings her a lullaby. Hae Young patiently sings Sang Hyo to bed.

In the present Hae Young offers again to sing her to sleep but Sang Hyo declines and turns around claiming she’s sleepy already. Hae Young smiles and keeps on staring at Sang Hyo who is nervously wide awake.

The detectives grab a meal together and Detective Kim goes through his earlier interview with Sung Gyum when he asked directly if Sung Gyum killed Young Mi. Sung Gyum takes out the first letter Young Mi mailed to him and passes it over to Detective Kim. Detective Kim asks if Sung Gyum knows who killed his father? Sung Gyum has suspects but doesn’t know who it is yet. In his last call with Young Mi, she offered to tell him who killed his dad in exchange for money. On the day he was on the business trip, he sent Simon back to the hotel to meet Young Mi but she didn’t show up at the agreed upon time.

Detective Lee suggests they just get out an arrest warrant for Jo Sung Gyum but Detective Kim chides him for jumping the gun. Sung Gyum has an alibi while Simon has no reason to commit the crime. Linking them to working together will require more digging.

Sung Gyum is in his hotel room and hesitates a few times before calling Sang Hyo. She’s asleep already but Hae Young is awake and picks up her ringing phone. He sees the caller is Sung Gyum and declines to answer. Sung Gyum assumes Sang Hyo is asleep already so texts her “Sang Hyo-shhhi, I thought about you all day and miss you.” Hae Young reads the text and responds “Director, shut your trap and go to sleep!”

Sung Gyum is understandably dismayed and confused when he reads the message. Hae Young finishes dismissing Sung Gyum and then grabs his own phone to take a selca with the sleeping Sang Hyo. He adorably cackles in glee over his treasured new couple selcas before making himself comfortable to stare some more at Sang Hyo.

Morning arrives and Sang Hyo wakes up in Hae Young’s arms. She’s comfortable until she realizes her position and freaks out before screaming and pushing Hae Young off the bed. She throws her pillow angrily at him as he grabs the pillow to go back to sleep. Sang Hyo rushes out to the kitchen to apologize for oversleeping and not preparing breakfast. Hae Young’s mom sweetly tells her no worries since she’s new at this. She asks Sang Hyo to come over and sample the morning soup and Sang Hyo gasps in delight over how delicious it is.

Sung Gyum waits outside Sang Hyo’s apartment to take her to work but she’s currently saying goodbye to Hae Young’s parents as she heads off to work. Hae Young warns Sang Hyo to come home straight from work and not linger with weird people. Hae Young’s parents explain they bought a car for Sang Hyo but it’s the same sound as tea so Sang Hyo says she likes all sorts of tea. The parents hand over car keys and confirm she has a driver’s license.

Hae Young and Sang Hyo stand outside in front of the new car which doesn’t make Hae Young happy because he wanted to drive Sang Hyo to and from work. Sang Hyo doesn’t plan to accept this car since it’s just a fake marriage. Hae Young tells her to make it real and then reminds her the parents are watching them so she needs to get in the car. Sang Hyo takes the car keys and gets in while Hae Young climbs in the passenger seat.

Sang Hyo tentatively drives off while the parents smile as they discuss how Hae Young is dead serious this time about Sang Hyo. Flashback to the day of the wedding where Hae Young got on his knees before his parents and begged them to let him marry Sang Hyo. She’s the only woman he’s ever loved and he doesn’t want to miss this chance with her again.

Sang Hyo grumbles about why Hae Young is hitching a ride with her and he is worried about her driving skills. Sang Hyo immediately proves him right when she makes sharp turns and drives between lanes and can’t even find the turn signal. Man, Hae Young really must love Sang Hyo to put up with all her weirdness. Sung Gyum tries calling Sang Hyo but she’s too busy driving badly to answer. He wonders if she went to work early?

Sang Hyo pulls into Secret Hotel and a freaked out Hae Young gets out feeling like he almost died back there. Sang Hyo hands the car keys to Hae Young and orders him to drive the car away so people at the hotel don’t misunderstand. He wants to pick her up after work but she orders him not to. Sung Gyum pulls up in his car and gets out with a full pissy face to confront Hae Young. He demands to know what is going on? Before Sang Hyo can answer Hae Young interjects that Sang Hyo is clearly going to work. Sung Gyum asks if something is still going on otherwise why are they arriving at work together?

Sang Hyo lowers her head like an errant child which upsets Hae Young that Sang Hyo looks so guilty. Sung Gyum pulls Sang Hyo off to talk but Hae Young refuses to let go and grabs Sang Hyo’s other arm. Both men claim Sang Hyo is his so she shakes their hands off her.

Sung Gyum walks right up to Hae Young’s face and loosens his tie to get it on. Sang Hyo tries desperately to keep the two fighting men apart and finally she holds onto Sung Gyum and begs him not to fight. Hae Young angrily yells her name and pulls her off Sung Gyum before the two men continue to glare at each other.

Thoughts of Mine:

I have a hefty reserve of patience for characters I like in dramas, and with Hae Young and Sang Hyo the initial goodwill made it so I was okay with their protracted back-and-forth which sometimes was entertaining while other times pointless. But now the drama has wrapped episode 12 with only 4 more episodes to go, and I need Sang Hyo to make up her mind in the immediate future. Preferably at the beginning of episode 13 so I can be spared another Sung Gyum-Hae Young manly man staredown. It was thrilling the first time around for the sparks but now it’s as dull as grandma’s old dish rag. What’s worse is that Sang Hyo keeps taking Sung Gyum’s side when she basically created the misunderstanding in the first place. Perhaps my earlier hunch is still correct and Hae Young didn’t leave abruptly but left a long letter which was swapped out for the cold plane ticket with no explanation. I still can’t figure out a reason for the two exes to not talk through the past even for closure’s sake.

If she’s willing to marry Hae Young and now willing to play house with him, and I don’t care what excuses she clings onto as her reasoning, then she’s not over Hae Young and doesn’t have a right to move onto Sung Gyum and involve him in her emotional conundrum. I know Sung Gyum agreed to it but he’s also gotten in way over his head. Only Hae Young has remained consistent since he decided he wanted Sang Hyo back, and joining him are Eun Joo in not letting pesky obstacles get in her long term goal to marry Sung Gyum. Sung Gyum is basically a walking contradiction and if Eun Joo likes him that much to keep holding on for him then she’s welcome to his hot-and-cold detached mien. Not quite sure what she sees in him, the same way I’m not sure what Jung Eun sees in Hae Young to remain that fixated. For that matter why Soo Ah has zero lingering issues over Ki Ho and appears to be relishing the excuse to spend time with Sung Gyum. Weird.

I thought the OTP scenes in this episode were sweet only in the context that we see they are clearly still into each other. Otherwise all of Hae Young’s crossing the line and pushiness with Sang Hyo is a major no-no in relationships, especially when she ordered him to sleep on the bed and he climbed in later to cuddle her. Just sayin’ it not cool other than in the fantasy context of a crazy only-in-dramas relationship. The cooking and dining scenes were cute as well the sweet bedtime flashbacks. But all of that only means something if it significantly pushes Sang Hyo towards Hae Young but the next morning she seems as determined to keep her distance from him. Too bad his parents can only give him the excuse to spend time with her but can’t actually help unravel the emotional knots of distrust in Sang Hyo.

Sung Gyum remains the main murder suspect though another twist would be if neither GM Lee nor Sung Gyum were the killers and it’s all the work of a third party acting on his/her own. Who knows but the two detectives don’t seem to be in a rush to find out what with their snail’s pace investigation. It seriously needs to get a move on especially since this situation has the recipe for more victims if there is indeed some major secret someone is killing to protect. All in all episode 12 was much better than 11 but nowhere near recapturing the fun heady sensation of the first episodes that painted a world of intrigue and romance with equal potential for satisfying development. Now it’s just fingers-crossed the drama makes it across the finish line in one piece.

Comments

My Secret Hotel Episode 12 Recap — 23 Comments

thanks for the recap.. was waiting to read your take on this epi.. i really loved this show in the beginning.. this is the only show i follow now.. but this week was a huge disappointment.. yesterdays epi was a major fail.. especially with all of HYs fantasies.. it kind of irritated me.. todays was better.. but still the end sucked.. as you mentioned HY remains the same.. but he also need to step up and stop going in circles.. Sang hyo is somehow loosing her charm.. at this stage of the show, if the OTP is SH and HY, then she should be more into him that it is currently.. and somehow SG is not convincing for me.. i mean initially i felt he was playing both the ladies against each other and suddenly he is into SH?? just like that ?? somehow it was not convincing for me… hope the new few epis are good..

I have the same feelings u just took the words out of my mouth. Bt honestly i did not like both the episodes for this week.

The murder mystery seems no longer a priority instead it seems like a side story. The romance on the other hand is given utter importance. However we hv reached episode 12..n i am still unsure who SH will choose.she seem so confuse whn she is with HY,she thinks of SG and vice versa. I hope they dun rush the otp at the last min.

I too wish by next episodes she makes up her mind.its not fair she is playing 2 man feelings whether she realize or not. Also i hope there is a major revelation on the murder mystery.

I am sick n tired of the cat n mouse game.. the drama started out well,bt last few episodes no longer made sense :/

I now actively despise HY and wish him EXTREMELY ill. His behaviour has gone way past the bounds of what’s acceptable to me, even in the context of K Dramas. He’s a stalker and a bully with no sense at all of how to have a healthy relationship. Apparently his thining is ” I want her, therefore she’s mine, and because she’s mine, I can do whatever I like.”

Effectively kidnappping a woman and trying to control her physically and emotionally is not romantic, it’s criminal, very literally criminal. I only survived the ep by FFing through ALL his scenes. I am pleased the original writer was almost certainly cremated, or the Earth’s rotation might have been imperilled by the speed with which she was spinning in her grave. This Drama is shaping up to have a good shot at being only the second ever that I’ve dropped so late in its run.

These last two episodes were a trial to watch and merely served to compound my frustrations with this show. I was in love with MSH when it first started, but now it seems the writer is spinning his wheels and going round in circles with this meaningless love triangle that is going nowhere and could be resolved by a simple honest and heartfelt conversation, and with little resolution to the murder mystery.

I had hoped initially that the writer would spend more time developing the murder mystery ala Agatha Christie (which would have been a refreshing change to see in a k-comedy) and less time on the romance part of the plot, but now the writing seems to go the typical plot of most kdramas which is quite tired and tiring.

I love the leads and will still stick around to watch them, but I can’t help hoping for more dynamic writing than the usual face off between the male leads. It reminds me of Heirs and was part of the reason I disliked that drama.

Sang hyo isn’t a piece of meat to be fought over, nor should she tolerate it. Hae Young will do well to start listening to her and stop his antics, they are cute and all, but it shows he doesn’t respect his wife’s position, and Sang Hyo needs to stop giving out mixed signals to both guys. Maybe if Hae Young stopped trying his wife might realize what she lost and come back to him, but that is a tall order.

I really like this drama but now.. *sigh*
I really disapointed in HY.. acting so childish is cute for high school kid but not in adult. One time is cute, second time is okay, third etc is annoying. I can’t ship HY with SH. I tried but I can’t!!! I don’t like his man-child tantrum..
Somehow I now like SG and wish he’s not the bad guy.
Why do I feel the characters are different than in earlier episodes. I used to lie HY-SH but now I want SH to be with SG.

Kind of off topic but I really want that sweater that Sang Hyo has at the end scene. Heck, I want all her clothes in this drama. Whoever the stylist is, I want to hire her. lol

Anyways, I don’t feel so much for Hae Young. I feel that he’s so immature and he needs to grow up before he can get back to Sang Hyo. Sure their romance was hot and steamy but life goes on after love. I hope he change before Sang Hyo gets back with him or she should not choose any of them. Heck, I think she’s better off by herself then both of the men.

Since the obvious murder suspects are Sung Gyum and GM Lee, I guess it’s probably not them. My guess is that it might be Gyung Hee after all. In the previous episode, she said something about bring the scariest.. Maybe that’s a hint.

The progress of the OTP is too slow. I guess the second writer couldn’t keep up the same passion and intrigue style of the first writer.

I also think that the murderer is not SG or GM Lee since they make them as obvious suspects. Gyung Hee is a possibility.

As for HY and SH, I am loosing my patience with both of them. One has to grow up and pursue his ex-wife like an adult with good communication. The other has to do some serious thinking and be decisive about what she really wants.

I finally got to watch both ep 11 and 12 and I guess everyone’s already expressed everything I’ve been feeling. I want to like this drama so much and I did like it so much. Now I’m left with the beginning of that bitter taste I get when a drama that I liked with so much potential starts tanking.

I agree with everyone. It’s so hard to ship HY and SH when HY is using lies and manipulating her emotions to get close to her instead of having a real dialog about what happened 7 years ago and why it took an accidental meeting for him to now want a second chance with her. And the fact that he is being SO grabby and territorial, keeps bringing up their wedding ceremony that’s not legally binding in anyway… and I don’t care if you love her or feel like you have some rights, when a girl tells you to get off her, GET OFF HER. I know this is supposed to be somehow romantic, but that whole dinner scene when he was cuddling her forcibly and she kept telling him to let go of her was just all kind of icky to me. Even if I still had lingering feelings, I would be SO pissed off if someone kept holding onto me when I asked them to stop. It’s hard to support a character when you just want to slap him.

Anyway, I’m so happy to have a place to vent about this show here. Thanks!

Yeah, a lot of what I am thinking and feeling has already been expressed. I have to say I think the main fault lies in lazy writing. As writer has made SH to dislike HY so heavily, he/she has effectively painted herself in the corner: there is NO reason for these two interact and so fall in love again. And so HY must be made this idiot who has zero respect for SY’s boundaries because if he gives up, as any sane person would do in his place, that would be the end of that romance.

At the moment I am not thrilled about any of the leads. While HY acts foolishly and so I cannot really ship SH with him anymore, I cannot really ship her with SG, either. Fault lies in both of them but more in SH than SG. Honestly, if SG is not the murderer, I hope he can find himself a less complicated girl who is HONEST and doesn’t avoid difficult discussion and situations like SH. I think keeping the romance “alive” is also the reason why HY has not talked with SH about their break-up because once they do talk about it, they can reconcile and this is something writer doesn’t want to give yet so they canNOT talk about it yet. But because there is no good reason for them to avoid it, it simply becomes the “plot says so” issue which is always bad.

I am quite disappointed because just like most of commenters here, I too liked this drama and this romance in the beginning. But by now it’s clear that the writer is simply not competent enough to plan a plot for 16 episode drama. Sad.

I’ve noticed everyone commenting on how childish HY is but no one is talking about how scary it is to be marry to SG (him and his cold/hot persona, calculation, plotting, secrets we don’t know of, and his scary smirks)??? HY is being childish because he really does love her (we as an adult sometime act up too but we really don’t often notice it or admit that we do, in situation like when we feel like something very important to us or mean the world to us got taken away from us)and wants to be with her and the sad part it wasn’t all his wrong doing on what happened 7 years ago it was a MISUNDERSTANDING and something happened in between the years and that’s why they lost communication and he did go back right after he had stabilized his company but found apartment/room empty everything was cover and the only thing that was left was the picture of them that got torned apart.

It’s clear that SH has chosen SG but HY persists in stalking/harassing her. He’d be in jail if he did that in North America as most stalkers end up killing people along the way as their obsessive behavior goes beyond reason like the ex-boyfriend in Sta. Barbara series. He hounded the newlyweds up to their honeymoon. Most male characters who fantasize about the girl they like don’t end up with them at all. They’re not in touch with reality and act according to their fantasy (i.e. they think the girl likes them back.)

The memories of the past came flooding back at the sudden appearance of the exes. They’re mostly painful for SH as she was left in suspended animation for 7 years with no explanation from the guy who swept her off her feet, promising to love only her to the end. She felt trapped by that situation so after waiting for his return (he didn’t leave a letter, e-mail, call or text to follow up on his absence), she decided to accept the offer in Korea to move on from her first-love’s heartbreak. Because it was not a clear-cut break-up, seeing HY marrying another woman was painful. It made him look like a liar and player from the start, especially when he flaunted that SA was in his heart. She was even more amazed he did not disclose that this was not his first wedding to SA. To SH, this confirmed that their past was just a passing fling. HY stupidly said their marriage was a fiasco, so the thought of him leaving her unexpectedly then reappearing with another bride was too much to handle emotionally. HY was really an insensitive jerk who drowns his sorrow by drinking. His staff has no respect for him and no lady wants him other than the stalker journalist. Even SA is now after SG. In My Best Friend’s Wedding, JR’s friend asked who is chasing her. Since no one was chasing her, he told her that was the cue for her to exit since her attempts to ruin the wedding was in vain. It’s mostly the same for HY. Whatever tricks he uses to separate SG and SH is in vain as SH is not into him. HY’s chasing SH but she’s chasing SG. It’s really one-sided on his part at this point but the show wants to stretch it to 16 episodes so they’re throwing all sorts of delays to the murder-mystery reveal.

There probably was a triangle 30 years ago with SG’s parents and the GM. Maybe the mom and GM had a relationship going but she married SG’s dad anyway. So the GM got the dad drunk so he can have an accident. SG has his suspicions about the GM so both men are irreconcilable. The GM knows a lot that’s going on in the hotel but deliberately keeps SG out of the loop. He and HDB could’ve have been assigned to protect SH by her foster parents or SG’s mom, who knows. HDB could’ve been trying to create a diversion for the wedding when he accidentally stabbed himself when someone bothered him. That would explain his body falling through the ceiling, since his workshop could be above the wedding halls. As for HYM, she was probably knocked by someone she didn’t expect, like KH, as she was shown dismissing her prospective buyer. Why else would the necklace still be missing if the GM or Simon had knocked her from behind when she had it in her pocket? The GM may know something but he and SG are not the killers, they’re merely suspects as HYM’s letter is another red herring to the plot.

Many global leaders and CEOs are inscrutable, including SG. You wouldn’t just approach the US president or one of the biz dragons flippantly unless you were stupid. Unlike HY who gets drunk when he has issues, SG contemplates seriously. It doesn’t matter what expression he shows. A man who has to shoulder heavy responsibilities cannot be trusted if he looks and acts like a clown like HY. It doesn’t inspire respect when a leader doesn’t lead by example. That’s why nobody respects HY and he in turn also doesn’t respect them, especially SH since he constantly does what is irritating to her. This behavior is not romantic but frustrating and rude.

SG has the weight of the hotel, the intrigue that his dad was possibly murdered and his new gf to worry about at the same time. His personality is not the type to be showy or emotional like HY. But he is caring, he just expresses it in a more reserved manner than HY. He wants to share his burdens with SH but she has too much going on for him to suddenly unload it to her, so he has held back out of respect, not out of being a shady character. In relationships, you need to time when you give information or news so that it’s not taken the wrong way. SG has not once imposed on SH to pull her heartstrings unlike HY who has lied to her about getting married for the sake of the hotel (to save the staff, supposedly) and used his dad’s health as an excuse to play house. If HY is so open now in his affections for SH, why was he so shady 7 years ago when he left abruptly with no explanations whatsoever and no follow-up? His openness now does not negate this fact. If he can clear this shortcoming in the past, he can move forward with SH and all would be forgiven.

Since career was more important for SH, she mistakenly thought that she could save the hotel by marrying HY. The hotel was fine about it, else why would they even congratulate that she’s dating SG? Only HY considered it a real marriage, though. The reason the couples who get married in Secret Hotel get divorced after 3 months is due to their wrong motivations in getting wed in the first place, as proven by SH herself. SG clearly told EJ that marriage is for lovers when she was proposing that they get married to save the hotel. In short, SH didn’t need to marry HY to do the same thing. EJ could still spin her PR another way when the bride ran off the wedding. It’s just that she pressured SH so she could secure SG for herself like HY could secure SH for himself. But the more they tried to separate the two, the closer SG and SH get as they now have common obstacles to overcome in their new relationship. It doesn’t matter who’s not supporting your relationship if both parties are in agreement. Eventually, the opposition has to give way or they’d look stupid as the only ones not giving their support.

SH thought HY was mature enough to understand their wedding was for show. But HY never thought of it that way. He thought this was his chance to grab her once more. Only he was the one living this fantasy as SH had no intention of renewing their relationship from the very start. His re-appearance disturbed her, but it wasn’t because she wanted him back. They never were legally married in the first place as they only exchanged vows but no marriage license was issued or registered. They were living-in shortly after their first meeting. http://www.vegas.com/weddings/las-vegas-wedding-legal-requirements/
Unlike HY’s sudden proposal without really knowing SH, SG has taken the time to listen and understand SH. He respects and supports SH. When she’s created a problem in their relationship, he doesn’t throw temper tantrums like HY. Only a childish person does that.

At the beginning of the series, SG and SH were like siblings in their relationship while HY and SH were more of former lovers. But as the series progressed, it reversed, with HY interacting with SH in a sibling-like manner. Why else would SH agree to play house if she had lingering feelings for the guy? The only voice in her head now is SG. HY also started to wear more business suits while SG has slowly relaxed his attire, being shown more in casual mode. The switch was deliberate to showcase the transition from an ended relationship to a new one. Only HY fantasizes about SG and SH together coz he’s that kind of person, to only want SH for pleasure. SG is too busy to be having those kind of thoughts at night. SG treasures and cherishes SH so he wants to take his time to develop their relationship. But he clearly is interested in getting married down the road, hence his teasing about it after they got officially together. They could still be together if the technicality of SH’s wedding to HY was invalid. Meaning, that they didn’t have the proper wedding license like in Las Vegas. The marriage license for this sudden wedding most likely is in Sooh Ah’s name, not Sang Hyo’s as she was technically, a replacement bride. Unless they’ve filed the proper documentation, the wedding was just a ceremony and not a real marriage legally. It would not be fitting to end the show with another divorce or an open affair so this area needs to be addressed. The murder mystery is overstretched to coincide with the drama, but it’s getting trite. If shows can resolve it in one hour, MSH can do it within 12 episodes to keep it interesting. Filler episodes were funny but not inspiring enough to justify 16 episodes.